The 2009 Gordon Research Conference on Catecholamines will take place in Biddeford, ME on August 2009. This small conference, held every other year, is an ideal forum for exploring new developments in the field of catecholamines. It is also an excellent opportunity for junior investigators and trainees to interact with established investigators in a relaxed atmosphere. The evaluations of recent conferences highlight the strong impact this meeting typically has on emerging scientists. As the funds allocated by the Gordon Conference organization are limited, we are requesting funding from other sources. We are hoping that the results of our requests enable us to support speakers and discussion leaders as well as a large number of junior investigators to participate in the meeting. The conference includes two plenary talks, by D. James Surmeier and by Eric Nestler. The preliminary program includes a large number of junior scientists and women, and the sessions planned include: 1) Novel views on anatomical organization;2) Catecholamines and synaptic transmission;3) Pharmacology: receptor heterodimers;4) Reward processes;5) Cognitive effects;6) Neurodegenerative diseases;7) Catecholamines and mental disorders;8) Catecholamines and drug addiction, 9) Adolescence, and 10) Transgenic approaches. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The themes covered in the 2009 Gordon Conference on Catecholamines are highly relevant to understanding the neurobiological bases of drug addiction and a variety of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, affective disorders, bipolar disorder, OCD, Tourette's Syndrome and Parkinson's disease. This forum will provide a unique opportunity to discuss recent advances in the understanding of how catecholamine systems may contribute to the pathophysiology and treatment of those conditions. The facts that a large proportion of the participants are junior investigators and a significant number will be graduate students and postdocs ensure that this conference may have an impact on how future generations on neuroscientists view these issues.